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Day: May 31, 2017

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Skills Women In Business

Executive Story Telling Lessons from Pixar

When I’m working with clients on their public speaking and presentation skills, one of the more common questions I get is, “I keep hearing that I’m supposed to tell stories, but where do you get your stories? I’m not a storyteller. How do you find them, and how do you know when to use them?”

There are lots of places where a well-timed, well-honed anecdote will be far more compelling than a dry, technical explanation. But what story should you use? That’s often the sticking question for many people. If only it was as easy as taking ideas from movies, but we can’t do that… or can we?
Pixar – the movie giant of Toy Story fame – has teamed up with Kahn Academy to create a program called “Pixar in a Box,” offering a range of different creative virtual training programs, and the newest series is “The Art of Storytelling.” While their short, interactive videos, transcripts, lesson plan and activity sequences are typically aiming for those in more entertainment-oriented industries, the exercises are great mind-openers to concepts and strategies that are very applicable in the corporate world. The concept of using storytelling in presentations and the like is not new, although it certainly has become more popular in recent years. Pixar’s take on it gives it a new spin, along with a step-by-step tutorial on how to build a story that has impact. While you may not be looking to create a 90-minute animated comedy feature film like Inside Out, figuring out how to use these strategies to weave compelling and persuasive anecdotes into your presentations, discussions, and other exchanges is a true skill worth developing. The key is about bringing information to life. It’s about painting pictures for the listener in a way that helps them personally relate to the topic at hand, where they can visualize what you describe, imagine smells and textures, and empathetically feel the emotions you want to evoke. If you’ve ever watched a Pixar film, you know they are the masters at this. (And if you have never seen a Pixar movie, that’s your first homework assignment this weekend! Try Finding Nemo or Monsters, Inc.) Do you need to go through all of the lessons like how to do storyboarding? Maybe not, but you never know! Maybe it will give you ideas for how to direct your IT department or graphics department on what kind of visuals you want in your slide deck. Or maybe it will get your creative juices flowing to help get you unstuck by doing different kinds of pencil sketches for 30 seconds instead of trying to compose in a linear format when you don’t know where to start and the blinking cursor is just staring at you on the screen. The nice part is that you can skip any pieces you don’t feel like exploring and jump around to the parts that peak your interest. The series is currently under construction but the first couple of lessons are already available. So go ahead, at your next lunch break, take a peek, watch one of their videos (each one is just a couple of minutes long) and play with an exercise or two just to see what it stimulates in your mind and on the paper. You may just find you’re a natural storyteller after all!

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Do you have questions or comments about the issues in today’s post, want to know how to apply them, or how to help others with them? If so, contact me at laura@vocalimpactproductions.com or click here to schedule a 20-minute focus call to discuss them with me personally!

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Growth Personal Development

A New Twist on Employee Engagement

 

I recently heard a speaker put a twist on employee engagement. She said that it isn’t engaged employees who are productive, but rather it is productive employees that are engaged. While at first I thought this sounded like a novel way to look at an age-old dilemma of employee engagement, upon further thought I have to disagree. Just because someone is productive, busy getting stuff done, meeting deadlines, checking things off the to-do list, does not mean they are contributing fully or really engaged. Just because they are productive does not mean they are not looking or willing to leave for the next great opportunity that comes knocking.

I was productive when I was an information security consultant. I spent my days working with clients, reviewing documentation, writing reports, and solving problems and my deliverables were always on time. But I was not satisfied or truly engaged and I was always trying to figure what I should do next. Now as an executive coach, trainer, and speaker I am fully engaged and productive.

Assuming a productive employee is engaged is a huge mistake for an employer. If my boss assumed that I was engaged because I was productive they were obviously mistaken and that can be costly when a good employee leaves, especially the ones you did not expect to lose or did not want to lose. We all know the cost of turnover is high, especially if you are employing specialists or are in a specialty field.

This article is not a “how to” on creating productive and engaged employees, there will be more on those topics in the future. This is meant to get you thinking and challenge your assumptions. If you think that just because you have productive employees that means you also have engaged employees this article is meant to challenge that paradigm. If you want to keep your talent and create a more powerful workforce you need to ensure they are truly engaged regardless of how productive you think they are.

Let’s dive in a little deeper here. Everyone wants to contribute in a certain way and there is no right or wrong way for this to happen. The challenge is that most people have not given it much thought as it relates to the work they chose to do and employers have not seen it as their responsibility to help their employees figure this out. The reason it actually is an organizational responsibility is because everyone is different, but many organizations and managers want to put everyone in the same box and tell them how to do their work instead of giving individuals the opportunity to work the way that makes sense for them.

Some people work very well in groups doing brainstorming sessions to come up with ideas and potential solutions while others really want to solve problems more independently. There are those who like creating systems and those who like creating relationships. Some of your employees want to make decisions through action while others want to make decisions through complex analysis. You have some sales people who are great at cold calls and are actually engaged in the process and others who want to be in the field, face-to-face with their prospects having conversations. Put the person who likes cold calls in the field or vice versa and you have just killed the engagement and productivity of those people who are actually great talent when able to contribute in the way that honors them.

Instead of putting people in positions based on a preconceived notion about what someone with a specific skill set should do, stop and ask critical questions: Who are you? How do you learn? How do you want to work? What is it that drives you to contribute fully? Of course this is just scratching the surface on how to best engage your employees by putting them in roles they will naturally want to contribute to with their full effort. The tool I use is called the Core Values Index (CVI) by Taylor Protocols and I use it with clients to do this very thing among others. You can take it for free by visiting www.c-suiteresults.com

When you find people productive and engaged I bet you big dollars that they are doing work that is truly aligned with who they are. They are doing work that actually lights them up, that they look forward to, and that they have control over. Why do you think so many people leave corporate America to start a business? It’s not because being an entrepreneur is easy or carefree. It is because they can do the work that they believe they are meant to be doing in the way they feel that they are meant to do it, which they did not experience in their corporate job. If more people were able to contribute at work the way they are meant to contribute I bet more good employees would stay employees.

If you are ready examine this in more detail then I recommend bringing in a professional. Someone who can help you examine your current situation, help you create a change plan where it’s needed, and support you along the way. Of course you can start looking at this on your own, but often when you are too close to the problem it can be very hard to see the gaps and even harder to come up with the solutions. Remember specialists are here to help you, they are not a sign of weakness. Just like you see a specialist to look at a medical issue, a coach to help your golf game, and an accountant to take care of the books, specialists have their place in your life and in your business. Change specialists, coaches, and management consultants are here for a reason.

Ask around, do your homework, and find someone that understands you and that you feel comfortable with. If you want a free consult with an executive coach, I am available to discuss your situation. You can reach me at sharon@c-suiteresults.com and learn more at www.c-suiteresults.com.

Categories
Best Practices Growth Human Resources Leadership Personal Development

3 Steps to Build Solid Relationships Over the long Haul

I am often asked how I grew such a powerful and large network of people and how I get the speakers I do for my networking dinners. Why do major public figures and corporate giants say YES to me?

The question: “What’s your formula, Jeanne?”

The answer: “I seek relationships, not outcomes.”

Our outcome seeking culture may tell you this is a bad formula because it doesn’t always yield immediate results. From my own experiences, the promise of immediate results doesn’t last over the long haul.

It is the long haul I am interested in.

I train my clients to utilize the principles of comedy improv as the foundation for relationship building, in every space they enter. For example, the audience watching an improv show feels engaged as soon as they understand the relationship of the characters. “Who are these people?” – is the ultimate question that needs to be answered, just as we need to answer this in interactions with others. We are made to go deeper like characters in an improv show. We strive to feel more satisfaction with the relationships we have. When we have known and interacted with someone over time, we remember.

Relationships are key to your success and they take time to cultivate. I never stop connecting and re-connecting. The most solid forces in my work and personal life are also relentless connectors. We understand and nurture this powerful group.

Everyone reading this can get real results when making someone feel good. People will remember how you made them feel which will pay out over time.

1.) Practice Pro-Active Communication

If you see an article or hear a story that reminds you of someone you know and want to get to know them better, e-mail then, private message them, share it with them via Twitter or LinkedIN and QUOTE them when possible. When I do this, I’m thanked for my thoughtfulness.

2.) Be Patient with people when you don’t hear back

If someone is not responding via e-mail and/or call and your instinct told you you’ve got a solid connection with that person, trust your instinct and NEVER giving up on reaching out to them. Give a few weeks or months and reach out again with positivity. Pick up where you left off when you last connected. I cannot tell you how many people I have done this with who have thanked me for my persistence and patience.

3.) Give without measure or announcement

If you take one tip away from these, let it be this one. Remember giving is giving and when we give well, we do so without seeking something in return. This idea smacks in the face of most outcome seekers because it is thought we must receive something in return. I have learned when I give without measure or announcement what I receive is better and richer than what I would have imagined as an outcome.

If you are reading this you are a C-Suite Executive likely doing what you love and chances are, most of the people you meet are moved by that and want to get to know you better. Focus on relationship building over the long haul and enjoy the unexpected gifts to come.